


Comedy of Errors

by Mockingbirdsong



Category: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, DC Extended Universe, Justice League (2017)
Genre: Angst, Dubious Consent Due To Identity Issues, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Extremely Dubious Consent, M/M, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:48:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24042358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mockingbirdsong/pseuds/Mockingbirdsong
Summary: Bruce has an unusual encounter with Superman, afterwards he is left confused as to what exactly happened.Note: There are definitely serious consent issues in this story. Please take heed of the warning tags.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 174
Kudos: 291





	1. Chapter 1

Bruce leant back against the chair, satisfied as he watched wonder woman take out yet another of the alien creatures. He was grimly amused as he realized this was the fifth mission in a row that the league had handled which didn’t require him to leave the cave. Then again, when you had a team composed almost entirely of super strong invulnerable people, a human guy dressed as a bat wouldn’t be on the front line anyway.

He still had his city, he decided. He may not be able to evacuate an entire city or wrestle with a thousand-pound alien creature into submission, but he still had a reputation in Gotham. Your average gangster still beat a quick retreat when he appeared (or tried to anyway).

He couldn’t say he was entirely comfortable with his diminished role, but there was a certain relief to not having the weight of the world resting solely on his shoulders anymore. The crushing sense of responsibility that had haunted him his entire adult life had eased up slightly after the formation of the league. It wasn’t that he liked the idea of a bunch of superheroes as the first line of defence, in fact it still kept him up nights. The crushing certainty that he had once regarding the danger of someone like Superman even existing still raised its ugly head from time to time. But it was more rarely these days, and more often than not there was just the relief of knowing he wasn’t alone against the world anymore.

Trust had never come easily to him, and it didn’t now either. However, at least he wanted to trust in his team, and that was an improvement in his mind.

He was lost in his thoughts, when he heard the sounds of someone entering the room. He glanced up to see superman…..no Clark come in. The man had changed out of the uniform and was now in his civilian clothes. Although Bruce noted it was quite a bit different from his normal deliberately shabby appearance as Clark Kent. He wore a shirt, that while certainly not too small, was still the tightest item of clothing he had seen on the other man. He was wearing jeans and looked more like a supermodel than he did his usual reporter persona. And he was holding…..a bottle of wine?

Bruce was mildly intrigued. They had been getting along better in the last year, but certainly not to the extent that he expected the other man to show up to his cave dressed as if for a date and holding a bottle of wine.

“Hey, we got them.” Clark announced cheerfully, settling onto a chair next to Bruce.

“That was quick, I expected clean-up to take sometime.” Bruce remarked.

“Oh, I figured Wonderwoman and Aquaman can take care of it themselves.” Bruce raised his eyebrows at the formal address of their teammates. Normally Clark slipped into first names even though Bruce had insisted on code names a hundred times.

“That’s a very cavalier attitude for you.”

“Oh please, it’s a few giant alien squids. Even Barry could handle it on his own.”

Bruce was surprised at the careless tone, but he could admit it was nice to have an easy mission for a change.

“And the wine? Are you headed somewhere?”

“I thought we could celebrate.”

Clark grinned at him, and Bruce felt himself softening a bit. He was self aware enough to admit that the other man had gotten under his skin a little bit. It was difficult not to be charmed by Clark a little…or a lot. He didn’t think he hadn’t sensed any reciprocal interest from Clark so far, but then again showing up like this was sending some strong signals. A part of him perked up hopefully at the possibility but he quashed it immediately. With his luck, this was probably Clark testing out his dating skills. His breakup with Lois had been a few months ago, and he probably wanted some practise before trying for the real deal.

“I thought you couldn’t get drunk.”

“Maybe I am just hoping to get you drunk.” To his disbelief, Clark leered at him in a decidedly exaggerated manner. The expression looked odd on him, like his face wasn't meant to be doing that.

Bruce resisted the urge to pinch his arm, this was starting to seem like one of his fantasies, although they were usually a lot less weird and a lot more graphic in their nature.

“Clark, what’s going on?”

“Come on, Bruce. I am not exactly being subtle here…I know you like me. We could have some fun.”

Bruce tried a light pinch on his thigh, out of the view of the other man but it didn’t help. Clark continued to stand there, looking maddeningly hopeful.

“I have no idea what you are implying here…if this is some type of joke, it’s not especially funny.”

Clark didn’t look especially bothered by his response.

“Come on, Bruce. You may have that poker face going but you know what you aren’t able to control? Your heartbeat every time I come near you. It’s not exactly subtle, at first, I thought you were still afraid of me, but then I noticed all the other signs. Your breathing, your eyes….Heck I can hear your blood flowing faster. It’s not exactly subtle.”

Bruce stamped down on a humiliated rush of anger. He hadn’t expected such a disdain for his privacy from teammate. He stood up, fully prepared to walk out of the room.

However, in a flash the other man was blocking his way, holding onto Bruce’s right arm just over the elbow. The grip didn’t loosen when Bruce tried to shake it off.

“Clark, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but if you don’t let me go right now, our next meeting will feature large quantity of kryptonium.”

Clark backed up immediately, holding his hands up in the universal sign of surrender. “Hey, no I didn’t mean it like that. But think about it, Bruce. We could be good together.”

Bruce should have used his newfound freedom to get out of this strange situation, but he felt himself stalling. After all, none of what Clark said had been wrong. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t had several sordid fantasies about his teammate.

Clark noticed his hesitation and pushed his advantage. Before he could even process it, the other man’s lips were pressing against his. He gasped and immediately found his found his mouth invaded by an insistent tongue. It was sure, confident, as if Clark ambushed and made out with his teammates on a daily basis. It was oddly incongruent with his normal persona.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to go with it. After all, this wasn’t exactly a hardship. He had been very much in lust (and maybe more) with his teammate for a while now. He relaxed into the kiss, responding as much as he was able under the onslaught. Now that he wasn’t resisting, Clark seemed even more enthusiastic.

He could feel the light stubble on Clark’s chin as he felt the other man’s mouth move against his. It was a new sensation for him. For all his experience in the past, it had been exclusively women. Clark wasn’t the first man he had been attracted to, but he had not actually pursued it before. It just seemed like an additional complication he didn’t need.

Clark had now moved to kissing his neck, and he realized with some surprise that the top three buttons of his shirt were now undone. Things were moving along more quickly than he expected. He wasn’t a blushing virgin by any means, but this was still a bit disconcerting. In his mind, he had always been the aggressor, pulling Clark along, seducing him slowly. This dominant side of the other man surprised him significantly.

Clark was now nipping at his neck and shoulders, sharp enough that he would definitely be seeing some hickeys in the mirror the next day. His shirt was pushed off his shoulders in the next minute, Clark’s mouth still attached to his neck like a vampire. The sound of his belt being unbuckled was very loud in the silence of the room and his pants were slumped around his ankles a few seconds later.

Bruce shook himself out of his reverie, realizing he was almost naked in front of the other man. He pushed his hands under Clark’s t-shirt, feeling for the bare skin.

Clark grinned against his shoulder and said, “See I knew you’d come around, Bruce. You are easy.” The tone was slightly mean, even dismissive, something he was unused to from Clark. Even when they disagreed, there was a grudging respect that had been earned between them.

A second later he pulled his t-shirt over his head and unbuttoned his own jeans, with surprising grace. Like he had done it a million times. Bruce certainly had to revise his judgement of the other man as an innocent farm boy.

Bruce stepped out of his pants, sharply aware of the fact that they were both in boxer briefs now.

Clark pushed him to sit back onto the chair behind him, taking off his own briefs, and staring at Bruce pointedly till he reluctantly pushed down his own. His hand was on Bruce’s cock immediately, as confidently as he had done everything else. His grip was firm, and his hand was moving almost immediately. Bruce’s cock which had perked up from the first touch of his lips, went fully hard embarrassingly quickly.

He tried to reassert some semblance of control, pulling Clark’s mouth to his own again, but this time he didn’t seem very interested, perfunctorily kissing him for a few moments before latching back onto his neck. His hand continued to move vigorously on his cock, and Bruce was afraid he would explode from just that touch. 

He didn’t get a chance to find out, as the other man finally let go in order and pressed one leg into the chair to the side of Bruce’s thighs. His cock was within a few inches of Bruce’s face, standing proudly almost vertical to his body.

Bruce shook away his lethargy, after all he had wanted this for a long time. He leaned forward, delicately licking against the head. It was a strange sensation, completely new to him. He would have liked to get used to it, but Clark's hand came up to grip the back of his head, and his impatience was palpable. He steeled himself and took him into his mouth, trying to go as far as possible, although he was not sure how far he succeeded. He felt relieved when Clark didn’t force himself deeper, holding onto his head firmly but not pushing. He felt gratified when Clark let out a loud moan, hips jerking slightly before stilling again.

He continued for a few minutes, trying his best to take as much of the other man’s cock as possible, but forced to pull back from time to time as gag reflex asserted itself. Finally, Clark pulled away, leaning down to kiss him vigorously again. He felt irrationally grateful for the gesture. Somehow, he had imagined more kissing and less of the other stuff in his mind.

His good mood didn’t last long, because Clark pulled away to ask breathlessly, “Can I fuck you? I really want to fuck you now.”

He bit back the instinctive no, because it wasn’t an unreasonable request. This was a natural progression of events. He didn’t have enough experience to take the lead anyway. He couldn’t fully fight back the fissure of fear though. This was completely new to him, and he needed more time, damn it.

However, he found himself nodding anyway. Clark was quick to pull him off the chair into the floor, climbing on top of him immediately.

“I do have a bed upstairs, you know.” He remarked. “I am way too old to be fucking on the ground like a teenager.”

Clark smiled his trademarked grin at him, and he felt himself relax despite himself.

“Nah, I can’t wait.” He leaned over to pull a condom and a small bottle of lube from his jeans pocket and the uneasiness returned. Clark had come here expecting to fuck him. Was he really as easy as that? Then again, he supposed with his reputation, Clark probably expected him up to be up for anything. He wasn’t entirely wrong.

A slick finger pushed into him firmly and Bruce was distracted from his thoughts. The finger felt odd, but certainly not painful. He consciously relaxed his entire body and Clark murmured approvingly at him. The second finger was a lot more uncomfortable, and he briefly entertained the thought of calling the whole thing off. But then Clark brushed against his prostate lightly and his body was fully back on board. The third finger wasn’t too bad, because once Clark zeroed in on that pleasure spot, he kept hitting it constantly till Bruce was hard and leaking.

Clark pulled his finger out carefully. “Turn around, it will be easier.”

Bruce had to fight back his panic yet again. It was too soon, things seemed too hurried. Despite himself, he turned over, Clark guiding him to rest on his hands and knees carefully. 

The second Clark began to push in, he knew it had been a mistake. It hurt shockingly more than he had expected, and three fingers seemed like nothing compared to the cock slowly pushing its way in.

“Wait,” Bruce couldn’t help himself from saying, “Just wait.”

Clark stopped obligingly for a few seconds but started again before Bruce could even take a breath.

The pain was getting worse, and he could feel himself tense up even more in response. Clark continued his inexorable push and Bruce held on, waiting for the pain to dissipate but it didn’t.

“Clark, I don’t think this is working. Just let’s slow down and try again later.”

Clark didn’t respond for a few moments and even pulled back slightly, and Bruce was relieved that the madness had come to end, even though he found he was disappointed that this had not gone as he wanted.

Then Clark started to push back in slowly, “Of course it’s working Bruce. You just need to relax a bit. Come on, just relax and push down. I thought the famous batman wouldn’t be afraid of a little pain.”

Bruce felt disbelief and anger course though him as he realized with stunning clarity that the other man wasn’t going to stop. He briefly considered fighting the other man but couldn’t go through with it. If he did say stop or fight…and the other man continued, he wouldn’t be able to live with that. It was better to just go along.

Bruce forced his body to relax again, not that it helped much with the pain but hopefully it would avoid any permanent damage. Clark spoke approving nonsense against the back of his neck and continued pushing in. Finally, he stopped, fully inside and Bruce relaxed slightly. The other man seemed content to wait now, rubbing his hands along Bruce’s sides in what he assumed was supposed to be reassuring. A few moments later, Bruce had to admit, the pain disappeared for the most part, and he was able to relax. Clark noticed the change in his demeanour and took advantage to move slightly again. This time however, he managed to press against that magic spot inside of him and Bruce began to understand why people liked this so much.

He could feel Clark’s smile against his shoulder. “There you go, told you it would work.”

Bruce felt the anger welling up again but it was quickly overridden by the pleasure. Now that Clark had found his target, he was hitting it relentlessly. Bruce could feel himself come back to full hardness over the course of a few strokes. Clark's hand reached around to grab him firmly and he exploded into the other man’s fist in a matter of seconds. Clark continued for a few more thrusts, finally groaning and going still behind him.

He pulled out, not especially gently. Bruce was frozen in his position for some time, stunned by what had happened. Clark moved over to lie on the floor with a satisfied sound, and Bruce finally abandoned his undignified pose and settled gingerly on the hard floor next to Clark. The other man pulled him over to cuddle, seemingly happily affectionate now that he had gotten what he wanted.

Bruce felt a little numb even as he slowly relaxed into the other man. He didn’t know how much later it was when Clark stood up and walked over, buck naked, to pick up the bottle of wine from where it had been abandoned in their haste earlier. He popped the cork with ease, and looked around, presumably for some glasses.

Bruce pointed towards the desk in a corner, and the other man grabbed two whiskey glasses from the cupboard beneath it. 

Bruce was still vaguely unsettled when the other man came over and handed him a glass with a cheerful smile. He had always liked that smile, but now he imagined he could see something cruel in the normally guileless face. For the first time, he was starting to question his own perception of reality. Maybe he had read too much into the situation. After all Clark had been looking for a fun time, which Bruce was not against either. It may not have been exactly what he expected, but he had to admit it was still one of the better encounters he had had.

He had no reason to feel disappointed, it was just two guys blowing off steam after a rough day. He told himself that as he sipped wine out of his own expensive whiskey glass. He kept telling himself that when Clark dressed again after some time and left with a cheerful goodbye.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the response to the first chapter, it really made my day...hope you continue to enjoy the story :)

Bruce wasn’t sure when exactly the Batcave had become the designated hang out spot for the league. His sanctuary, which had barely seen anyone other than himself and Alfred for years, now rarely went a week without one or more of the league barging in and lounging around. He had been very much against the idea at the beginning and had made his feelings clear on the matter. However, all the others, including Diana had just laughed at him indulgently before making themselves at home. The place now boasted a sofa set and multiple chairs in addition to his trusted seat in front of his monitors, and they were often occupied these days.

In the beginning, he had made a valiant attempt to line lead along some of the most sensitive parts of his base of operations from Clark’s x-ray vision. Eventually though, he had written it off as a lost cause. Besides, Clark had always been extremely ethical about not using powers around Bruce. Bruce had even tested him by placing small amounts of Kryptonite unshielded at random spots, far enough not to cause damage but definitely visible if Clark were scanning the place at all. He hadn’t heard a peep from the other man about it, not even a hurt look. Bruce had genuinely believed the other man could be trusted to respect Bruce’s privacy. Now though, he wasn’t quite as sure. Maybe Clark knew every one of his secrets and was just playing dumb. The thought made him distinctly uncomfortable.

Diana was comfortably settled on the largest one, looking through the latest information he had collected regarding some unusual weather disturbances around the globe. There wasn’t a connection that Bruce could see yet, just storms and hail in regions where it made zero sense, and sudden warm spells in regions where a polar bear would normally be right at home.

“I don’t know, Bruce. I agree it does not look natural But I am not sure exactly who would be capable of something like this. It does not seem to be obviously nefarious though….there are no casualties, only some mild to moderate inconveniences.” Diana said after she had finished.

“Its still too many data points to ignore. There has to be a reason.”

“It could be….but I have to confess, I haven’t heard of anything like it.”

They were interrupted by the entrance of Barry and Clark, arguing vigorously about something.

“Hey, Bruce,” Barry called loudly, before disappearing for a couple of seconds and reappearing on the couch next to Diana. Bruce was sure he had done something to mess with the room. Barry seemed to find it extremely funny to move random objects around the place, files, data disks, even pieces of furniture. The juvenile pranks didn’t particularly bother Bruce, and he could always check what the young man had done in slow motion on one of his cameras later anyway. There was always usually at least a couple recording this place. He had warned the other members of the team to be careful with their identities in here because of that exact reason.

Clark had shrugged him off and pulled of his glasses anyway. Bruce had been oddly flattered by the trust shown by his team members. They had handed him the power to expose any one of them at a moment’s notice.

Clark now nodded in a friendly manner at him and took seat of his own on the other sofa. This was the first time he had seen Clark since that night. It had been nearly a week, and he hadn’t heard a single word from the man since then. Bruce wasn’t sure exactly what he had expected but the casual manner of the other man rankled him. He didn’t like being proven right in that Clark had indeed just been looking for some fun. He had expected better from Clark, or at least an explanation of sorts.

“Hey, Bruce. How are you doing?”

“Fine, you?” Bruce was proud that his voice stayed perfectly level. However, he wondered if Clark was still spying on his bodily responses, whether his low burning rage was visible to the superhero anyway. He tried to take deep even breaths; he wouldn’t give Clark the opportunity to mock him again.

If Clark wanted to pretend their entire last interaction never happened, that was fine with him. Bruce could live with that. He supposed he should be grateful that Clark didn’t feel the need to have a long drawn out talk with him to let him down gently. This was better. He wasn’t disappointed that Clark didn’t at least have the decency to address the issue. Clark was just another guy trying something new and deciding it wasn’t worth the trouble. Bruce could understand that. Hell, he had ignored many calls from hopeful dates the morning after as well.

“Good. Really good.” The other man said, grinning broadly.

“Someone’s got a date.” Barry sing-songed from his seat next to Diana.

“Barry, just because you can speed read my phone doesn’t mean you should. That’s private.” Clark look mildly annoyed.

“That’s a bit rich, coming from you.” Bruce winced at just how bitchy he sounded. He hadn’t meant to let that slip but the news that Clark was now back to dating didn’t help matters. Was that night just practice to get back into the game? If so, Bruce had a few tips to offer. More likely, it was just an effort to tide himself over while waiting for something better to come along.

Clark had the audacity to look hurt. “What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t spy on people.”

Bruce couldn’t help the snort that escaped at that. He really did need to get better at controlling his emotions. And now Diana was looking at him consideringly as well.

“Nothing, it meant nothing. I am just frustrated about the weather patterns. It doesn’t make sense.”

Clark looked mollified immediately, though Diana didn’t seem quite as easy to fool.

“Relax, Bruce. This isn’t that big of a deal. I am sure we can figure it out soon. We have dealt with bigger problems before.”

“Yes, silly me to be worried about a global phenomenon that could blow up in our faces. You’ll want to be getting back to your date.” Bruce was really out of control. He used to be better than this but the hurt kept resurfacing despite himself and his default response was to lash out. Make Clark hurt a little bit too.

Clark was starting to get annoyed now. “That’s unfair.”

“Right. My apologies, I didn’t mean to be rude. Look I’d like to get back to work. So if the three of you could come back later, that would be best.” Bruce knew he wasn’t helping matters but the raw feeling at Clark's self righteous attitude was grating on his last nerve at the moment.

Clark nodded sharply and left without another word. Barry followed a few seconds later, looking puzzled. Bruce noted with wry amusement that he speeded for a second, presumably to undo whatever it was he had done upon entering the room. He probably did not want to get on the wrong side of an annoyed Batman.

Diana, however showed no signs of leaving.

She stared at him for a few seconds, deep in thought. “That was unkind.” She remarked gently.

“Right, of course it was. The three of you barging in here, and refusing to take matters seriously is fine, but me pointing out the facts in unkind?”

“Bruce, if this really is about the phenomenon, I promise you, we are all taking it seriously. But I don’t think it is.”

“I didn’t know that you had acquired mind reading abilities. These powers just keep adding up, don’t they?”

“There’s really no need for that. Bruce, you were the one that brought this team together. And I believe you did a really good thing. Please don’t undermine that now.”

Bruce couldn’t deny any of what she was saying. He wasn’t acting rationally.

Diana visibly exhaled and continued. “Bruce, you have seemed upset this week. If something is bothering you, you should tell us. We are your teammates.”

“I am fine, just tired. We’ll talk later.”

“Alright. If that’s what you prefer. I know working with others isn’t what you are used to. But Bruce, this team has been good for you, too. Please think about it.” Diana touched him on the shoulder lightly before leaving as well.

Bruce had to admit she had a point. The last year had been one of the best in his entire adult life, even with all the big and small adjustments he had had to make. He wouldn’t sabotage that because of some hurt feelings. Clark had the right idea in pretending the whole incident didn’t happen. All he had to do was the same and things would go back to normal. He could do that; he had gotten over far worse things that a disappointing one-night stand.

___________________________________

It was more of a relief than he expected, once he decided to let the whole thing go. The next meeting with the team went far more smoothly. He couldn’t quite bring himself to apologize but still tried to be on his best behavior. Clark looked placated, probably gratified that Bruce wasn’t planning to create any further trouble. Diana smiled at him proudly and he felt himself relax despite himself. At least he hadn’t ruined this.

It was Victor that placed the last pieces of the puzzle together and led them to the metahuman causing the disturbances. And it turned out, Diana had been right all along. It wasn’t a nefarious plot for world domination, just an exceptionally powerful metahuman teen who was coming into their powers at a time when his hormones were running rampant. It was nice when the solution to a problem of this magnitude was a visit to a therapist instead of some really big guns.

Clark hung around after the others left, and for one terrifying second he thought the other man had decided he need to have the talk with Bruce after all.

“That was a really good catch, noticing the pattern as early as you did. You probably saved a lot of lives. Sorry I was not serious about it last time.” Bruce could recognize an olive branch when he saw one.

“Thanks, I appreciate that.” He tried to sound sincere, but it wasn’t as easy as he expected.

“Look Bruce, if I did anything to upset you, I am sorry.” Clark sounded entirely genuine. Bruce wondered for a second if somehow, he had imagined the entire encounter. But no, he remembered waking up the next morning, sore and exhausted. He had seen proof of it in the bruises on his neck and shoulders for over a week in the mirror.

“Clark it was my mistake, I took it too personally. But its fine, we’re fine.” And Bruce was surprised to find that he really did mean it this time. The man standing before him had forgiven Bruce for trying to kill him. The least he could do was overlook a rash, perhaps slightly selfish decision.

“Took what too personally? What’s the problem?”

“There’s no problem. Look I was just in a bad mood last week.” Bruce didn’t understand why Clark was trying to make this more difficult. He was doing what the other man wanted. He took a deep breath and let go of any remaining resentment. His smile didn’t feel forced anymore. “Look, can we just move on?”

Clark seemed to relax as well. “Alright, I’ll see you later?” The question was hesitant.

“Of course.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really blown away by feedback on the story! Thanks for the comments.

Bruce did manage to put the whole incident behind him over the course of the next few weeks. He couldn't quite the same camaraderie that had been established with Clark over the last year, but the burning resentment had faded. The other man never brought up the incident again. Their interactions felt a bit strained but not enough the significantly disrupt the overall functioning of the league.

In fact the entire team was in the Batcave again, Barry having convinced everyone that a movie night was necessary for teambuilding purposes. “Godzilla” was playing on the largest screen, the selection courtesy of Barry himself. Sometimes, Bruce wondered if the young man maturity had somehow been frozen permanently in his early teens. Still, he had to admit, it wasn’t an entirely terrible idea. Alfred had even provided gigantic bowls of various flavored popcorn.

Arthur was settled on a plush chair and had refused to relinquish his grip on the Caramel flavored popcorn for the last hour. Barry and Victor were quibbling over the realism of the monster, barely watching the movie at all.

Diana, sitting next to him on the sofa, was the only one who seemed to be watching the movie seriously at all. Clark was half asleep on the other sofa. Bruce noticed that Clark seemed to be giving him much more space these days. The normally tactile man hadn’t come near or touched him in weeks, probably having sensed the discomfort on his part. Bruce was grateful for the fact, even if the feeling of being patronized ranked him.

It felt quite pleasant, having the team around, enjoying themselves for a change. Bruce could feel himself relaxing and enjoying himself for the first time in the last month.

Of course, with his luck, that was the moment things went to shit again. The monitor, which had just been showing off the mutated monster in glorious technicolor shuttered and went blank abruptly.

“Hey,” Barry complained loudly. “I thought you were supposed to have the best tech. We can’t even watch a movie here now?”

Bruce got up to grab the remote from Barry. He hadn’t had any problems with the system recently that he remembered.

A few seconds later the screen blinked back on, this time showing footage of Bruce himself sitting in front of his monitors. It was from one of the cameras in the Batcave. The one just to the top left of his monitor system, based on the angle. His initial bafflement was replaced with a sharp feeling of dread when he saw the time stamp proudly displayed on the bottom corner. It was of the night they had dealt with the giant squids.

He turned to look at Clark sharply. Had the other man somehow hacked his system to get this recording? If so, to what end? It was one thing when he thought it was an impromptu decision on the other man’s part. But this made it seem like a pre-planned effort to humiliate him.

Clark wasn’t even meeting his eye, glancing instead at the screen with curiosity. As if he had no idea what was about to appear on the screen.

“What’s happening?” Victor asked. “Not that this isn’t an improvement over what we were watching a moment ago. I’d prefer watching two hours of you looking at a screen over that God-awful movie anyway.”

“Hey,” Barry complained, “Godzilla is a classic.”

Bruce felt entirely frozen for the first time in his adult life. All his training, his practice and his control was out the window and he was as helpless to move as he had been in the alley thirty years ago when Clark appeared on the screen, bottle of wine firmly in hand.

He felt detached as the scene continued to play out in excruciating detail. He felt an abstract admiration for the quality of his camera, showing off the video in high quality with their voices as clear as crystal. He felt a fresh burst of humiliation as the Clark on the screen talked about his heartbeat, exposing his secrets to his teammates as well now. He could see the real Clark out of the corner of his eye, entirely awake now, eyes glued to the monitor. 

Time passed, and the video showed the two of kissing enthusiastically. He still couldn’t bring himself to move even a finger.

Diana was the first one to finally move, grabbing the remote out of Bruce’s lax fingers, trying to switch off the video promptly. However, it wouldn’t switch off even as she continued to press the off button with force. Diana seemed to be frustrated with the remote, throwing it down and heading to the screen, reaching behind to unplug the giant monitor.

It didn’t help, and the monitor continued to display the sordid scene. The camera was now showing off in loving detail Bruce’s mouth wrapped firmly around Clark’s cock. Diana finally seemed to lose her cool, punching the television screen with enough force to crack the LCD screen. He felt a sudden wave of relief, but it didn’t last.

The screen to the left of the one that had just been demolished blinked on, Clark now breathlessly asking on the screen whether he could fuck Bruce. Diana paused, looking shocked as the other man pushed him to the floor and started to prepare him. Finally, she seemed to unfreeze again, punching through the second monitor as well. A small part of Bruce absently noted the property damage, even as he felt an immense rush of gratitude at her attempt to stop this farce.

This time he wasn’t even surprised when the next monitor flicked on, and he winced at how pathetic his voice sounded as he asked Clark to slow down. He couldn’t help glancing at the real man in the room with him, who hadn’t moved an inch in the last few minutes. His mouth was hanging open now, staring at the screen in complete horror. He felt some measure of relief as he realized that the very least, Clark wasn’t responsible for the impromptu show. The man was not that good of an actor. Someone had hacked into his system. He was too preoccupied at the moment to fully embrace the consequences of that, of all the sensitive data that could be leaked if his security was compromised. Right now, he could only feel entirely mortified.

Diana seemed lost at what to do now, and he felt like telling her not to bother. The damage had been done anyway. On the screen, both the participants finished, and the screen cheerily blinked off again, having accomplished its purpose.

There was complete silence in the room for a painfully long time, even as the movie started back up, as if nothing had happened. As if Bruce’s dignity hadn’t just been completely shredded to pieces.

Barry was the first one to break the uncomfortable silence. “Uh, guys! I didn’t know….you guys were seeing each other? Congrats, I guess! Although I guess you were keeping it private huh? Sorry for the peep show.”

“Relax, Barry.” Clark sounded perfectly steady, even if it was a higher pitch than normal. “It didn’t happen. Some demented person is just trying to mess with us. Bruce, you can prove it’s a fake, right. Show that it’s been interfered with?”

Bruce really meant to go along with the other man’s deception. It made sense. It was in fact the best way to get them both out of this situation. However, when he actually opened his mouth, what came out was, “You know, Clark, you’re really something else.”

The other man looked genuinely hurt again. “What?”

“You seriously want to keep up this charade? Then sure, it’s a fake. I am sure I’ll be able to come up with some technobabble to prove its not us. Maybe it was actors with face altering technology. Or it’s completely computer-generated. The technology has improved a lot in the last few years. Or maybe its footage from an alternate reality.” He knew he was starting to sound hysterical, but he couldn’t bring himself to care anymore.

Clark didn’t respond to that, just continuing to stare at Bruce dumbly.

“Bruce,” Diana started carefully. “The recording time showed this to be the night the Accaseans attacked. Is that correct?”

Bruce nodded absently at her. His attention was still focused on the man trying to deny the truth even after it had been flashed in front of him.

“That night, there was a lot of damage to the city.” She said carefully, “There were several buildings that were damaged structurally which needed evacuation. Clark and I were assisting the first responders for many hours after the fight itself was over. Well into the early morning the next day.”

Bruce blinked as the full weight of the words hit him. He stared at her disbelievingly for a second, but her expression was completely honest.

His anger left him in a rush, as he realized just how massively he had been deceived. Of course, it hadn’t been Clark. The other man hadn’t shown one iota of interest in him before or after the incident. He considered himself a great detective and he hadn’t even realized such an obvious deception. The humiliation came back with renewed vigor, but this time wasn’t even mitigated by the righteous anger that he had felt so far. 

“Of course,” He said quietly. He felt drained all of a sudden, all his confusion and anger of the last couple of months seemed to burn through him, leaving him feeling entirely empty. “Obviously, I was mistaken.”

“Bruce…” Diana started again, stepping towards him, as if to touch him but he felt too raw for any type of contact right now, even from her.

“I will look into my network, see if I can track who might have breached the security system.”

“Bruce,” It was Clark that interrupted him this time.

“No hacker is perfect, I am sure they must have left some traces of their activity, especially orchestrating something of this magnitude,” He said loudly, ignoring the other man and pointing at the demolished screens. “I assure you, it’s only a matter of time.”

“Of course, Bruce. I am certain you will be able to figure it out.” Diana’s words sounded oddly condescendingto him right then, setting his nerves on edge again.

“Yes, I’ll start on that. I think it’s better you leave now. I will keep you updated on any information I find.”

Diana seemed to hesitate before acquiescing. “I will see you soon, Bruce. We will figure this out.”

She left slowly, followed by everyone except Clark who was still stuck in the exact same position on the sofa. He did not want to deal with this right now, but he had to admit the other man had earned the right to an explanation from him. As much as he didn’t want to ever see him again, Clark deserved more than that.

“Clark, obviously, I was mistaken. I apologize for my behavior.” The words came out relatively calmly even though his thoughts were swirling between anger and shame.

“Come on, Bruce. You know I don’t care about that.” Clark said immediately, surprisingly convincingly. It was a small relief. “I am so sorry; I knew something was wrong last time. I knew it. I should have talked to you.”

“If I recall, you did try.” Bruce pointed out.

“Not hard enough, apparently. Look Bruce, what happened in the video….I would never….”

“Yes,” Bruce said sharply, feeling a fresh stab of hurt. “I realize now that you are not romantically or sexually inclined in that direction. Like I said, I was mistaken.”

“No, Bruce. Please listen to me. I meant I would not have pushed you like that. What they did was…”

Bruce cut him off again, unable to have this discussion right now. “Clark, I assure you, I was fully aware of what I was doing. There’s no need to make incorrect references.”

“Bruce…”

“Clark, I really am not in the mood to discuss this further right now. I’d like to be alone right now.”

Clark seemed like he was planning to argue further but finally nodded and left.

Bruce was finally alone in the room, with two smashed monitors and Godzilla playing silently on one remaining screens. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to laugh or to cry at the moment. Both options seemed equally appealing. Finally, he decided to do the one thing he still knew he was good at. He went to the system and accessed his security protocols. He would find out who had done this, and he would make them pay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the responses! Hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Clark hadn’t seen or heard from Bruce since the disastrous movie night at the Batcave. It had been six days already. For the first two days, he had been glancing at his phone every couple of minutes, sure that Bruce would quickly figure out exactly who inflicted this sick joke on him. But for every hour that the phone didn’t flash a message, his feelings of frustration and raw unadulterated anger had been growing. He wasn’t entirely sure he would leave the perpetrator alive if he got his hands on him at the moment.

He wondered for a second if Bruce had already figured it out and decided to deal with the matter himself. He hoped that wasn't the case but he didn’t blame the other man for not wanting to deal with any of the league at the moment, especially Clark himself. The memory of the tape wasn’t actively making him nauseous anymore, as it had at the beginning, but it was till one of the most disturbing things he had seen. Not for the first time in his life, he cursed his near perfect memory. He could see the tape clearly in his mind, as if the recording was still playing behind his eyes.

He could still see Bruce’s palpable confusion at the beginning, see Bruce trying to figure out exactly what sort of game was being played by the other Clark. A part of him was even angry at Bruce, how had the world’s greatest detective not realized that the impostor wasn’t him? Did the other man really expect to behave as he had in the tape, to just come in and demand sex as if it was his due? He had really thought they had grown to respect each other over the last year.

He shook his head to clear it, the last person to be blamed in this colossal mess was Bruce. He remembered the betrayed look his eyes when the other Clark had claimed to read his heartbeat. Bruce was a proud man, and such an invasion of his privacy would have hurt more than any actual injury.

Clark himself had learned to tune out the bodily responses of the people around him years ago, and especially around Bruce. He recognized early on that it was a big deal for Bruce to allow him with all of his abilities into the Batcave. As a reciprocal gesture, he had been on high alert to not even accidentally scan the walls and catch a glimpse of any room he had not been explicitly invited into.

He acknowledged that his feelings for the other man had changed significantly over the last year. His initial animosity had been quickly replaced with a grudging respect. But it had taken Clark a lot longer to get a point where he actually liked the other man and enjoyed spending time with him. To a point where the other man’s sarcastic comments and general acerbic nature genuinely evoked warmth and not irritation. To a point he could imagine that there could be more between them than just a strong friendship. 

The other Clark had been rough, almost careless during the entire encounter. It was still bewildering to Clark, seeing himself act that way. He had acted entitled to Bruce’s affection, as if Bruce agreeing to kiss him and sleep with him was just an regular mundane event and not something extraordinary. Something Clark wasn’t sure he would never have the chance to do in his life.

Disgust warred with something uncomfortably like arousal in his stomach when he recalled the sight of them kissing enthusiastically, the sight of his own head bent over Bruce’s broad shoulder. The sight of Bruce’s lips wrapped around the impostor's cock which would not have been out of place in his own fantasies, nor the sight of his hand curled into the other man’s dark hair.

But that was where the fantasy ended, the rest of the video had honestly disgusted him. He could sense the other man’s palpable uncertainly through the entire event. Watching the other Clark bulldoze his way through Bruce’s hesitant objections made his blood boil.

He fought the urge to rub his eyes till he could get rid of the images. His frustration getting the better of him, he slammed the laptop lid down and walked away from his desk. He had been working from home for the last couple of days, pleading a headache. He just wasn’t capable of going around and acting if everything was normal. The last time he felt this helpless had been whether Luthor had his mother.

The bell rang, and he startled. He hadn’t heard anything, but then again, he had been extremely distracted for a while now anyway. The door opened to reveal Diana, unusually dressed in Jeans and a plain green t-shirt. It didn’t make her any less stunning but was much more understated than her normal appearance. Clark wondered if she had been blowing off work too.

“Clark, I tried calling.” She didn’t sound impressed at being ignored, and Clark didn’t blame her, he must have ignored at least three calls. He didn’t especially feel like talking to anyone other than Bruce the moment.

“Sorry, I was a bit busy with….work.”

“I see,” Diana said, skeptically glancing around his apartment which admittedly was more of a mess than normal, and he wasn’t exactly known for his cleanliness typically. Clark felt distinctly judged.

“Bruce says he didn’t find anything wrong with his security system.”

“What, how is that possible? Bruce is the best at this…he should have been able to get something by now.”

“Yes, I agree with you, which makes me think this is far more sophisticated than a hacker.”

“Well, obviously, they have some kind of shifting technology or ability as well.”

“Yes, but even so, if this were some kind of earthly technology, I believe that Bruce would have discovered the perpetrator by now.”

“You think this may be alien technology?” Clark said, finally getting the drift of what she was suggesting, “You think this may be done with Kryptonian technology.”

“I think it’s a distinct possibility. I was about to suggest a trip to your ship, to see if we discover anything valuable.”

Clark nodded, “Of course, I will do that.” He hesitated before asking, “So you are in touch with Bruce?” He tried to sound casual.

“Not particularly, he has sent me a few messages with one-line updates, but that about the extent of it.”

“Oh,” Clark didn’t know whether to be relieved or not that he wasn’t the only one being ignored by the other man.

Diana looked at him consideringly, “Clark, he’s not mad at you. Maybe upset at the whole world in general, as he had every right to be, but I am sure he does not blame you for any part of this.”

“Right, of course not.”

“Clark, I didn’t think I would have to clarify this, but this is not your fault. Or Bruce’s…the two of you were made the target of an especially cruel attack.”

“I knew he was upset for the last month, Diana. I could see him flinch away every time I came within a foot of him. I just thought he was having some kind of paranoia relapse and reverting to his default state.” Clark shook his head at himself, annoyed.

“As, did I Clark. I believed he was frustrated working with a team. After the difficult meeting that day when he was upset, I told him to get over his issues. Looking back, it seems cruel. I have no excuses to make. But Bruce can be especially difficult to read. I am not entirely certain what is going on in his head at any time.”

“No, he certainly doesn’t make it easy. But I did know something was wrong. I thought for some reason, he was starting to be afraid of me being a threat again. That maybe he saw me do one inhuman thing too many and decided he had been right along.”

“Clark, I assure you, Bruce does not think you are a threat in anyway, shape or form. He is in fact your greatest proponent these days.”

“Do you really believe that Diana? He really thought that….that imposter was me. He seems to believe I would do something like that. That I would just walk in there and….” Clark broke off, unable to complete the sentence.

“It is always easy to be deceived when we let our guard down, Clark, as we do with the ones we trust the most.”

Clark nodded absently, recalling the almost brutal union again in his mind.

“Clark, I know that this has not been easy for you, either. You thought you were losing a friend and now you realize your likeness was used in such a manner. I know that you care deeply for Bruce.”

“I am not the one who was …..attacked,” Clark said, not liking the far too understanding look in Diana’s eye. She had a way of making you feel as though all your secrets were out in the open.

“No, but someone you care about was,” Her emphasis was a little too pronounced, putting Clark on the defensive.

“I am not sure what you are implying,” He winced as he realized just how unconvincing he sounded.

“Relax, Clark. All I mean to say is that you and Bruce were good together, as friends, as teammates and perhaps maybe more.”

“Bruce doesn’t think of me that way,” Clark protested immediately.

“Bruce believed the man in the tape to be you. Is it really impossible that he cares for you as well?” Clark’s immediate denial died on his lips.

Bruce hadn’t turned down the imposter or threatened to shove some Kryptonite up his ass. The kiss between them had not been passionless, at least on Bruce’s part. He kissed the other Clark like….like Clark himself would have kissed Bruce, if given the opportunity. But then the little flare of happiness died out immediately when he realized that even if Bruce had entertained any sort of feelings for him in the past, they were dead and buried under a very deep grave by now.

“If he did at all, it’s probably well and truly decimated now.” He said wistfully.

“Not necessarily, damaged certainly, but believe me Clark, feelings of this sort don’t usually go away. Even when he you wish they would. Even if it would hurt less for it to go away.” For a second she looked immeasurably sad, glancing away from Clark to collect herself.

“I am sorry, Diana, I didn’t mean to drag up old memories.”

“No, it’s fine Clark. My point is, things are not too late, for either you or Bruce. I am not saying he would make it easy for you, in fact I am confident he will do everything he can to push you away. But I do believe he cares for you as well. You will have to decide whether you want to try and fight for the two of you.”

Clark nodded, grateful for the sliver of hope she had provided. “Yeah, I will just go to the ship, see if I can find any information.”

“Good luck, Clark.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't my favorite cause I suck at writing plot and I know it. But hopefully it somewhat works :)

Bruce was still annoyed at getting hauled out of the cave bodily by Diana, who hadn’t even allowed him to grab his phone on the way out, insisting he needed a break. But now as he listened to Clark at the local cafe, he understood that had not been an accident.

Bruce listened in disbelief as Clark hesitantly explained about a synthetic lifeform form a planet named Colu. Due their cybernetic nature, they could interact with and understand every existing technological device in the universe. This particular one named Brainiac 8 had served as a living supercomputer on Krypton, at least until Jor El had discovered she had been profiting handsomely by trading Kryptonian technology with other species. She had been convicted and serving a sentence in Fort Nox at the time of the destruction of Krypton .

Clark kept glancing at Bruce apologetically, as though afraid Bruce would find a way to blame him for this mess. Bruce would be charmed if he was capable of feeling anything other than anger right now.

“So, there was a supercomputer named Brainiac on Krypton. And it had a personal beef with your dad?” Arthur asked, for what was probably the fourth time. To be fair to him, it wasn’t exactly easy to swallow.

“Yes, Arthur. Like I said.” Clark said, starting to sound annoyed.

“Your life, dude. I mean seriously where do you pick your super-villains from? A comic book? There’s Zod, Doomsday, Lex and now…Brainiac 8?” Barry looked a bit amused by the situation, despite the general dour mood of the room.

“You are certain, it is this Brainiac?” Diana sounded doubtful.

“I can’t be sure, of course. But she was running operations across pretty much the entire network of Krypton. I am guessing hacking a few security systems on earth wouldn’t be difficult.” Clark said, and then immediately seemed to backtrack, “Not that I am implying your systems are easy to hack, Bruce.”

“I get it, Clark.” Bruce said, quickly letting the other man off the hook. It was painful just how jittery the other man seemed to be around him, especially given none of it was his doing.

“And she has shape shifting abilities?” Victor asked curiously.

“Yeah her entire species does. She must have somehow escaped prison and landed on earth.”

“I see,” Diana nodded. “And you believe she has some kind of vendetta against you?”

Clark shrugged helplessly, “I mean, I don’t know. I guess it’s possible? Why else would she do something like this?”

“Maybe it wasn’t personal. Not entirely anyway.” Bruce mused out loud. “Almost any criminal would benefit from internal strife within the league.”

“You may have a point.” Clark admitted, “I didn’t think of that.”

Victor nodded as well, “It would certainly help a lot of people if Batman and Superman started to hate each other.”

“Hmm….” Arthur still seemed slightly put off by the whole thing. “Any idea how to track the damn thing.”

“No, I have no idea.” Clark admitted.

“She must be tracking us somehow, most likely she had complete control of the tech in the Batcave somehow. Probably, all of our phones as well.”

Barry asked, "Speaking of, wouldn’t she realize something’s up? All of us meeting here without any tech on us?” 

“It’s possible,” Bruce said. “Which means we need to move fast. Draw her out before she’s ready for us.”

“You have any suggestions?”

“Yes, bait. We put forward something she wants…..is there anything she could want to get her hands on in the scout ship?”

“I’d imagine there isn’t anything she wouldn’t want on it. I am sure she hasn’t found its location yet.”

“So bring over something. Any portable tech…pretend you need me to take a look at it.”

“I could do that,” Clark agreed readily. “But then what?”

“Leave that to me.” Bruce said, happy to have a target for his anger in the first time in weeks.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Clark found that watching Brainiac fry against the piece of the steering equipment he had brought over from the scout ship was immensely satisfying. Clark wasn’t sure exactly what it was Bruce had done to it, only that when Brainiac touched it she reacted like she was being electrocuted…and then simply fallen apart like a badly put together mannequin. The league had watched from the manor through one of the cameras as Brainiac had fallen hook line and sinker for Bruce’s plan.

Bruce was the first one the first one to enter the room afterwards. Clark hung back as Bruce carefully walked over to where the various body parts of the alien lay strewn about on the floor. He looked completely calm as he picked up her head off the ground, turning it around in his hand carelessly, examining it as if it was a toy.

With a start, Clark realized that the eyes of the alien were still blinking, glancing around the room before finally settling on Bruce.

“I should have known it was a trap,” She murmured quietly. Clark had to admit it was unsettling to see the disembodied head talking. “What did you do to me?”

“Good old fashioned computer virus. You are not quite as advanced as you seem to think.”

“Hmmm……well done! You’re quite a clever boy, aren’t you?”

“Thank you.” Bruce was still turning the head, twisting it one way and then the other as he examined it clinically.

“Of course, you aren’t perfect. It was so very easy to fool you the last time. Kind of pathetic really…how desperate you seemed to be. You really would do anything for a little affection wouldn’t you?”

Clark resisted the urge to take the head from Bruce and crush it into a pulp. He must have made a noise, because the eyes turned to look at him next.

“There you are…the last son of Krypton. Did anyone tell you, you are just like your father?” She asked curiously. “Not just the looks, though. Same self-righteous attitude as well.”

“Thank you,” Clark replied neutrally. “I’ll take that as a complement.”

“Hmmm……I suppose you would. It’s always been a bit of a turn off for me but not for Bruce here, did you know? He spends hours watching footage of you. And every time you are around him…I wasn’t lying about his reactions…was I, Bruce?” She taunted, seeming completely unperturbed by the completely defenseless position she was in. In fact she still seemed to be enjoying Bruce’s discomfort a little too much.

“You seem awfully chatty for someone in your position. I could wrap you in a garbage bag and use you as a paper weight for the next ten years.” Bruce said, clearly starting to lose his temper.

“Yes, I suppose you could. That wouldn’t change the fact that I fucked you right here on the floor a couple of months ago would it? I meant to ask you, Bruce. Did you enjoy it? It was your first time, wasn’t it? Was it as magical as you expected?” She broke off with a demented grin as Bruce shook her head sharply. It was significantly out of character for Bruce, a sign of loss of control that showed Clark just how upset he still was.

“That’s quite enough.” Diana said firmly, “Bruce, give her to me.”

Brainiac looked disturbed for the first time since her capture as Bruce handed her over to the Amazon as if realizing what was about to happen.

“Take a good look around, Brainiac. I assure you, where you are going, you will not come near a computer for the next hundred years.”

Diana didn’t dally around long after that, with Bruce’s help she packed the pieces of the body into a trunk and left, assuring them that the alien would be safely locked away in Themyscira by the end of the week. Clark supposed it was as good a place as any. Brainiac falling into the wrong hands, even as she was now would be disastrous.

A while later, the rest of the league had departed as well, leaving Clark along with Bruce. It was just as uncomfortable as he had expected it to be, and he could clearly see that the other man just wanted him to leave. But Diana’s words were stuck with him, and he knew if he let Bruce wallow right now, any chance they might have at a future would be gone entirely.

“That must have been some virus,” He said wincing at just how awkward he sounded.

“Yes, well it got the job done. I will need a few hours to remove it from the tech before you take it back to the scout ship.”

“Not a problem, take your time.”

“It is a really remarkable piece of technology. I think I would have liked to see Krypton before.”

“Me too. I mean I have seen a few pictures, but I still can’t fully imagine what it looked like.”

Bruce nodded, looking thoughtful.

“Bruce, I know I said it before, but I really am sorry about all this. Maybe she wouldn’t have focused on you if it wasn’t for me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Clark. People like her enjoy inflicting pain. If not me, it would simply have been someone else. It was better this way.” Bruce’s tone was mild, self deprecating.

“Why? Why does it always have to be you taking the fall. You deserved more than that.” Clark realized his volume was increasing and broke off.

“Clark, it’s fine.” Bruce said, remarkably kindly for him, though it would have seemed cold on anybody else.

“It’s really not, Bruce. I wish I could make you understand that.”

“Look, Clark. This has been a deeply embarrassing incident for me.” Clark could see just how much it had taken from Bruce to say that out loud. “I’d very much appreciate it if could put this incident behind us and never discuss it again.”

Clark knew what he was about to do was cruel, but he also knew this issue had to be dealt with now or it would hang between the two of them like a sword. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward, right in Bruce’s space, feeling devastated when the other man flinched back for the fraction of a second before controlling himself. Clark didn’t think he could have noticed it without his super speed but with it, the recoil seemed to last for an eternity.

He steeped back quickly, “See, I don’t think we can just forget it, Bruce. I don’t want you to be scared of me, even a little.”

Bruce scowled at him. “It’s just a reflex. I assure you; it will go away.” Clark could sense the distance growing between them with each second.

He realized that Bruce was too hurt at the moment to help, that Clark needed to take the first step here.

“You were wrong, you know.”

“Yes, it seems I was on a number of things. What are we discussing now?”

“When you said I wasn’t romantically or sexually inclined…..I was, I am.”

Bruce’s mouth was hanging open slightly. Clark took a brief second to congratulate himself on having rendered the other man lost for words.

“I hated Brainiac for what she did…but I was also jealous. That she got to kiss you when I didn’t. It wasn’t fair.” He shrugged helplessly, unable to tell if he was making this better or worse.

“I see.” Bruce voice was perfectly level, but his face betrayed a slight tremor. Clark could see it without even trying.

“I don’t expect anything, I know you wouldn’t want anything now anyway….I just wanted to tell you the truth."

“I see.” Bruce said again, and Clark couldn’t tell if he was angry or not.

“I am sorry, I just thought I would tell you. I won’t bother you about it again."

“Clark, thank you for telling me. I appreciate it….but I am just not sure what I want anymore.” Bruce looked genuinely frustrated. “I won’t lie and say I didn’t want that. I did, badly. But now…”

“I get it, Bruce.” Clark assured quickly. “I promise I won’t bother you about it again. But Bruce, I really just need you to not be afraid of me again.”

“I am not, that I can assure you. I just need some time, Clark.”

Clark nodded, feeling similar to how he had when Lois and he had broken up. That had been one of the biggest losses in his life, and yet somehow this felt worse in a way. As if he had lost something, he didn’t even know he could have had. But he could at least respect Bruce’s wishes. He left the Batcave, hoping he would at least salvage the remains of a friendship from this gigantic mess.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the comments on the story so far. Hope you enjoy the last chapter. I have plans for a porny epilogue but I suck at writing porn so it may or may not happen.

Bruce had been fully occupied doing a complete overhaul of his security system for the last few days. It still rankled him that Brainiac had managed to get such complete access to his system. Clark had handed over all the information he had on the alien, which was a lot. It had helped to put his mind at ease, at least a little. He was fairly confident she wouldn’t be able to repeat this particular performance even if she somehow managed to escape the amazons and put herself back together. Then again, in this world, he couldn’t even imagine what the next threat would look like. He was still pondering the pros and cons of going to some lower tech and keeping a few systems entirely disconnected from the network. It would be terribly inconvenient but probably necessary, if he was being honest.

Alfred came in with his lunch on a tray. Bruce noted that the man seemed to be a lot more present around him in the last few days. He made sure to come by at least four or five times a day, usually bearing food or to personally relay minor communications regarding WayneCorp that could just have been forwarded to his email for smoother handling.

He had not spoken to Alfred about the whole fiasco, but he knew that many of the league were in touch with Alfred in their own ways. Barry came by for lunch at least once a week, if not more regardless of whether Bruce was in the mood to entertain him. Alfred seemed to take it as a challenge to see if he could provide enough food to completely stuff the speedster.

Both Diana and Clark had Alfred’s number and made a point of speaking to him every time they came by. Not to mention that Alfred and Martha seemed to have become fast friends, much to Bruce’s consternation. He hadn’t thought the two of them would have that much in common. As for Arthur and Victor, he had no idea but he wouldn’t be surprised if they had a standing appointment with him as well. Alfred had a way of making connections that Bruce envied sometimes.

He wasn’t entirely sure which one of them had spoken to Alfred, if at all. But his near constant presence in the cave seemed to indicate he suspected something. Bruce winced at the thought of having that particular discussion with Alfred. Some of the fresh pain and humiliation had worn off, but it still wasn’t a comfortable topic to remember.

In fact, while Alfred was probably more familiar than anyone with the specifics of his sexual dalliances, the last time they had discussed the topic was when he had been a pimply teen concerned about his high school crush. That had been closer to a sex education class than anything else.

“Master Wayne, your lunch.” The man put the tray on his desk, as elegantly as he seemed to do pretty much anything. “Also I have received a few calls from your personal assistant regarding the new merger. We should discuss them.”

Bruce sighed, it was really getting a little ridiculous now. “I know Alfred, she sent me the document. I have reviewed it already.”

“I see. Excellent. In that case, since you have time, I have been wanting to discuss some improvements to the manor. I do believe some major renovations are required fairly soon.”

“Alfred, you haven’t asked me for interior decorating advice in….well ever actually. Did Clark or Diana mention anything in particular to you?”

“Master Wayne, I am offended that you seem to think I need someone to tell me these things. I have known you since you were a child.” The other man seemed irritated now.

“Of course,” Bruce acknowledged, “I just meant, did they tell you anything in particular?”

“They did not. You have been very clear about your attachment to your privacy, to a fault, I may add. But Master Kent in particular has seemed concerned. He seems to be under the impression that you do not wish to make any contact with him for the foreseeable future.”

Bruce resisted the urge to sigh. He should have known Clark would take it personally. “I didn’t say that. In fact, I have seen him many times recently.” He knew he sounded defensive, which was always a big mistake with Alfred.

“Strictly for league business, as I understand.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

“I have to admit, I had assumed the two of you were becoming closer over the last few months. Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“No, not especially. I made a fool out of myself, and I simply would like a little time to recover my dignity, such as it is.”

“That’s not what he seems to believe.” Alfred pulled a chair opposite to him and sat down. It felt oddly informal from the other man, closer to what he had been when Bruce was still a boy. “In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he seems to think you hate him.”

Bruce couldn’t help a snort at that. “My feelings about him are extremely complicated, Alfred. But it’s safe to say hate hasn’t featured in a long time.”

“I do believe that,” Alfred said consideringly. “He seems to be a persistent weak spot where you are concerned. Perhaps he should be the one you should be having this talk with.”

“It’s complicated, Alfred. I think it’s more likely I would make the situation worse at the moment.”

“Hmmm….” The older man looked doubtful.

“You think I should speak with him.”

“I have not certainly not been coy in making my opinion clear on the matter. Bruce.” Bruce startled at the informal address. “I want you to be happy. It is my belief you were happier when he was around.”

“You really think it’s that simple?” Bruce could feel himself wavering.

“If you have an exceptional ability Bruce, it is to overcomplicate matters. Do try simplifying them for once.” Alfred stood up promptly, probably having sensed victory and deciding to quit while he was ahead.

“Getting started on the renovations, I presume?” Bruce wasn’t going to let that one go for a while.

“Indeed.” He patted Bruce, lightly patting him on the shoulder. It felt surprisingly comforting.

Bruce tried not to encourage the hopeful feeling growing in him, because it never worked out for him anyway.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-

Having made up his mind, Bruce didn’t bother putting off the confrontation. He had always believed in charging headfirst into a situation, as ill advised as it may be. It didn’t make it any easier to knock on Clark’s door later that same day, but he did it regardless.

Clark looked as startled to see him as he had expected. Seeing the guy standing there in a tshirt three sizes too large and looking adorably puzzled, Bruce wondered how he had managed to not immediately spot the impostor. Brainiac had been a very pale imitation of the real thing.

“Hi,” Bruce said after they has stared at each other for a full minute. “Can I come in?”

“Oh, you want to come….right sure.” Clark backed away from the door quickly, immediately colliding with what seemed to a bookshelf during his hasty retreat. He had to wonder exactly how much of Clark Kent’s trademark clumsiness was actually real.

Bruce felt genuinely sorry for the guy. Perhaps he should have called. It didn’t seem fair to ambush a man in his own home. He paused at the door.

Clark seemed to sense his hesitation, “You changed your mind? It’s fine. You can leave if you want.” The resignation in his tone was a little heart-breaking, even to Bruce.

“No, I was just admiring your apartment.” He quipped, stepping in and aiming the most obnoxiously judgemental look he could manage right then at the place. It was obvious Clark was not the neatest tenant in history; clothes and papers strewn all over the place, but the room itself looked pretty cosy, with a nice big sofa that probably served as a second bed and two giant shelves, mostly stacked with books.

“Right. Sorry about that.” Clack quickly cleared a corner of the sofa, moving a jacket and what looked like a quilt.

Bruce took a seat, hoping he didn’t look as out of place as he felt. He felt worse when Clark chose a wooden chair to sit on, at least ten feet away from his spot. He remembered when the other man would always settle onto the couch next to him at the Batcave, half on top of him in fact. Maybe he had really let this drag on too long.

“Alfred says you seems to think I don’t want to see you anymore.” It was blunt and made Bruce feel vaguely like he was back in high school, but he had never believed in beating around the bush anyway.

“I see…look I promise I didn’t ask him to make you come here.” Clark sounded hurt.

“No, that came out wrong,” Bruce corrected. “He didn’t force me to come here. I rarely do things I don’t want to. I just meant, when I said I needed, I didn’t mean you had to completely avoid me.”

Clark looked doubtful.

“Clark, I was embarrassed by the whole thing.” Bruce had to fight to keep going. He did not especially enjoy conversations like this, even if he knew it was necessary. “I just wanted to lick my wounds in peace. I didn’t mean to make you think I was angry with you, or that you should avoid me entirely.”

“Embarrassed?” Clark seemed dubious.

“Yes, I didn’t especially enjoy having my dirty laundry aired out in front of all of you, if that wasn’t clear. That doesn’t mean I ...” Bruce broke off, unable to finish.

“I get it if you would, though.” Clark said earnestly. “You thought I…. I would get it if you really did hate me for what happened.”

“I don’t.” Bruce felt relieved when he realized he meant it. “I haven’t in a really long time.”

Clark finally seemed to believe him, smiling hesitantly.

Bruce forged ahead, he had come this far, he might as well go for broke at this point. “About what you said that day, about being jealous. Does that still hold?” Never let it be said that he chickened out of an emotional situation ever again. Alfred should be proud of him.

Clark looked at him disbelievingly, “Bruce, you know it does. But I told you I don’t expect anything. I meant that.”

“What if I do? Expect something, that is.” Bruce asked, feeling confident for the first time in weeks. Clark cared about him, wanted more…it was painfully obvious to Bruce now. He had not been alone all this time.

Clark gazed at him, seemingly lost for words. It probably didn’t speak well of Bruce that it only spurred him on. It felt good not to be the only one completely out of his depth for a change.

“I…are you messing with me here?” Clark asked sceptically. “Your sense of humor has always been a little mean.”

Bruce had to suppress a grin despite himself. “No, I am not messing with you. Clark, like I said, I never do anything I don’t want to do. Admittedly the circumstances were beyond messed up, but I did want to sleep with you that night.”

“And you are telling me that didn’t change anything? That you can just pretend something didn’t rape you wearing my face?”

“I am not suggesting we should jump into bed right now,” Bruce said, a little annoyed. But he had to admit the other man had a point. There was a time when the idea of being with Clark had just been thrilling, it still was, but he couldn’t deny there was some dread associated with it now. Maybe Clark was right, he really should have thought it though before coming here.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that.” Clark hastened to comfort him. “There’s no hurry, I just didn’t want to make it worse for you somehow. But Bruce, if you are sure, there’s nothing I would like more.” He carefully moved to sit next to Bruce on the couch, still hesitant but growing more confident.

“Yeah, I am sure.” Bruce murmured. They might have to work out the details, but he knew he wanted to try this. He had been though too much to not at least try and get something good out of it for himself. He was selfish like that.

He leaned into Clark slowly, not hesitating, but clearly giving the other man every opportunity to pull away even if he didn’t have superspeed. When their lips met, it wasn’t earth shattering and he was mostly just relieved, because it was nothing like that night. It was hesitant, awkward, and the angle was terrible. It was objectively one of the worst kisses in his life. It was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you enjoyed the ending.

**Author's Note:**

> My First time writing fiction in years, so would love feedback! Leave a kudos or comment if you enjoyed the story.


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